Connection
by kat69d
Summary: Reid knows someone who could become a victim in a recent case...can he save her before it's too late?
1. The Meeting

**Note: I do not own 'Criminal Minds' but my own characters...I'll admit that I'm not as smart as Reid so he won't be spouting off trivia left, right, or center...Enjoy...**

* * *

Spenser Reid had just finished a case with his team at the Behavioral Analysis Unit for the F.B.I. They had just gotten back to Virginia and Reid didn't want to stay at home. He felt like he needed to be around people. He dropped off his bag at home and walked down the block to a little bar. He grabbed a stool at the bar.

"What ya want?" the bartender asked.

Reid normally doesn't drink so he was at a loss of what he wanted. Maybe this was a bad idea, maybe he should have gone to the coffee shop or the bookstore.

"Maybe the nerd wants a glass of milk," a man who was sitting a few stools down from Reid said.

"Maybe a Shirley Temple," said another man.

"Maybe you all should shut it. Mike, give him a Miller and I'll have the usual."

"Did you know that the process of brewing beer began in the 19th century?" Reid spouted off before he looked up.

The one who rescued him from the ridicule had a smile on her lips, almost as if she was trying to stifle her laughter. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and took the stool next to him. The light picked up the several tones of brown in her hair but it was her eyes that seemed to cry out to him. They weren't green or blue, almost like an aqua.

"It may have started in the 19th century but the beer has been improved and has become the most popular alcohol in the country."

The bartender handed over a bottle of Miller beer to Reid and a glass filled with dark liquid to the girl. She held up her glass to him in a salute and took a long drink. Her entire body seemed to relax at that moment, as if the liquor was her savior.

"What brings you into a bar like this and at this time of day?" she asked.

"Just needed to be out. What about you? You seem quite familiar here."

"That's because I am. I got off work early and would rather be anywhere than at home so I stopped in here."

Silence reigned for a few moments while Reid contemplated on what to say next. He tried the beer that she ordered for him and decided that it was decent. His hair fell into his eyes and he tucked it behind his ear. He tended to do this out of nervous habit.

"I'm Anne Marie."

"Reid. Thank you for the suggestion."

"Don't mention it. Next time don't sit down at the bar unless you know what you want. Otherwise, the drunks will stare and probably heckle you."

He wasn't sure who started it but the conversation began to flow between the two of them. He spouted off facts that he had read from one book or another and she would turn the conversation around to focus on the fact. They would debate the validity behind it and Anne Marie often tried to make Reid think what it would be like if it wasn't right.

"What if everyone had that power? Only a select few had the power to tap into it but if the entire world could access the Force, imagine the chaos. Imagine one neighbor using it against his neighbor because his grass is greener. "

It did make Reid wonder what life would be like if he had the Force. What would he do with the powers? He was more of a Star Trek fan but did enjoy the Star Wars franchise.

Anne Marie had drunk through 2 glasses while Reid was still nursing his first bottle when the door banged open. Her eyes scanned the room and settled on the man in the doorway. Her body tensed waiting for what was surely coming next.

"Anne Marie!" the man bellowed.

"Shit," she muttered as she dug money out of her pocket and handed it to the bartender.

"Is everything alright?" Reid asked.

"No. My stepfather is drunk and angry," she replied looking at her watch. "We've been talking for 5 hours. I should have been home hours ago. I need to get him out of here. Thanks for the conversation, Reid. Enjoy the Miller."

Reid watched as Anne Marie approached the man at the door. He grabbed her upper arm and shook her slightly. He was yelling at her but kept it quiet enough so the others couldn't overhear. He pulled her towards the door and she looked back once more before she was dragged out sight.

He wanted to go after her but what could he do. Her stepfather had at least 30 pounds on him and the man was angry that she wasn't home on time. There's no law against that so Reid couldn't arrest him. He turned back around, finished off the last of the warm beer, and paid before heading home.


	2. The Case

**Note: I do not own 'Criminal Minds' but my own characters...I'll admit that I'm not as smart as Reid so he won't be spouting off trivia left, right, or center...Enjoy...

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**

"The case is local. A series of abductions leading to rape, assault, and murder. All three girls were between the ages of 21 and 23 and looked similar, brown hair and blue eyes. Each victim was last seen leaving a bar alone. Only the last victim, Jessica Watson, was said to be intoxicated. The other two, Sharon Carmichael and Sarah Reynolds, had barely any traces of alcohol in their systems when they were found," Jennifer Jareau reported to her team just after they came back from lunch.

"Each victim was abducted and held hostage for several days before their bodies turned up. The coroner's examination reports evidence of sexual assault but the semen hasn't turned up a match. They were strangled during the rapes. Identical marks were burned into the lower abdomen pre-mortem."

"So the Unsub is physically stronger than the women. Most men are," a deep voice said.

"Sharon Carmichael was 6'0 and a muscular 175 pounds. She was on her university's soccer team," JJ replied. "The coroner found ligature marks around the wrists and ankles so he most likely tied them down or kept them bound."

"You said the victims had similar appearances," Emily Prentiss said.

JJ pressed a button on a remote and three pictures appeared on the screen behind her. She handed out the folders she had been holding. Each folder had every piece of information they had on the case so far. Each member of the team had opened it to flip through the information except Reid. He was still staring at the screen.

"Reid?" Aaron Hotchner, the former Unit Chief, questioned.

The genius shook his head and turned to his team. He immediately picked up on the similarities and the uncanny resemblance to the girl he met the week before. His friend, Derek Morgan, reached over and tapped his hand. He looked to the team's hacker, Penelope Garcia.

"I know a woman who could become a victim. I saw her last week."

"Where? How do you know her?" Morgan asked.

"After we got back from the case, I went to a bar."

"What? You're kidding," Prentiss joked.

"No. That's where I met Anne Marie. Garcia, I need you to get into the student records from the University of Virginia. She was ranked third in the entire 2006 class at the school. We need to warn her."

Garcia's fingers flew over the keyboard as she hacked her way into the university's database. She found the undergraduates list from 2006 but the third wasn't an Anne Marie; the student wasn't even female.

"Ah, Reid. Unless Anne Marie was William Ness, she's not here."

"She earned her Masters in Microbiology, Psychology, and Biochemistry."

Garcia was working her magic when Hotch asked an important question.

"If she graduated 3 years ago, how is she still within the age range of the Unsub?"

"That, my friends, is an answer that I can give. Anne Marie Jackson is 23. She entered the University of Virginia at 15 and graduated at 20. She had been accepted into the doctorate programs but seemed to put that on hold due to family obligations.

"She is listed as an employee of the Department of Defense. Her drivers license is lapsed and she only has one credit card with a limit of $25,000. She pays it off every month, never carrying a balance. No land is registered in her name and the address on her employment records is owned by Paul Jackson, her stepfather. Her mother, Karen, passed away in 2007 from ovarian cancer," Garcia said.

"Another brainiac. You never go for the average woman, Reid."

"I doubt her job would be the reason for these abductions. The Unsub has a connection to these women. He might be working up until he kidnaps the woman he has set his eyes on. These others may have been trial runs, getting the urges out of his system until he can get her," David Rossi stated.

"Is this Anne Marie just another woman until his goal or would luck be on our side for once and she be the one that the Unsub is after?" JJ asked.

No one answered. Morgan split the team into 3 groups, Reid and he would look into Anne Marie, Rossi and Prentiss would check out the clubs that the victims attended the nights they disappeared, while JJ and Hotch would check in with the detective on the case. Garcia, not needing to be told what to do, headed to her office to look more into this Anne Marie Jackson.

* * *

"Hey, Reid. You feel something for her," Morgan said as they approached the bar where the genius had met the woman.

They had stopped by her home address but there was no answer. Seeing that the bar was on the way to her place of employment, they would stop off there first.

"Christopher Marlowe wrote '_Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?_' I am not saying that I love Anne Marie but after spending that much time talking with her, I feel connected. She understood the ramblings that I sometimes go on and gave me a different view on a few things. Even when she divulged her education, I didn't see her as another genius, who I had to talk on level with. Morgan, I felt normal for once. Not seen as Spencer Reid, IQ of 187, holder of all my degrees and doctorates but as just Spenser Reid."

Morgan gazed his brown eyes on the lanky man beside him. Reid wasn't looking at him but staring off. They had worked together for years and while Reid had casually dated, he had never seen him react like this. His buddy was beginning to fall for this woman and hoped that everything was alright or Reid was going to be hurting after this.

"Pull over. This is the bar. Anne Marie seemed to be a regular. The bartender, Mike, knew her and what she preferred to drink."

The bar was quiet when they entered. Two people sat at separate tables near the back, one man in a rumbled suit sat at the bar, and Mike stood behind the counter cleaning glasses.

"Excuse me. Do you remember me? I was in here last week talking to Anne Marie," Reid asked.

"She ordered you a Miller. Forget what she ordered ya?"

"Not quite. Have you seen Anne Marie since last week?"

"What's it to ya? I won't have another loser following her," Mike grumbled.

"There's been another man around here looking for her?" Morgan asked.

"Not saying anything."

Morgan showed the bartender his FBI badge and took a seat at the counter. Reid took the same stool he sat on last week and waited for the blond man to talk. He wanted to find Anne Marie and make sure that she was fine and safe.

"Her ex was around here awhile ago. Said that she wasn't returning his calls. He was angry when I wouldn't tell him anything. Stormed out of here, slamming the door behind him."

"Has she been back?"

"Nah. She ran out on ya when her old man showed up. Anne Marie normally comes in twice a week for a drink before heading home. She never opened up when she was here. Actually, the most I've heard her say was that night she talked to you."

Reid pulled out a card and gave it to Mike, asking if she comes around to give him a call.

"Why all this for Anne Marie?" he asked.

"Because she looks like those girls in the news," the man in the rumbled suit spoke.

Morgan and Reid looked to the man, watching him as he made his way over. He stumbled but caught himself on the counter. His blue eyes were bloodshot, his hair ruffled, and had a slight smell of too much alcohol coming off of him.

"I was coming in the bar last week when she left. The man grabbed her arm and pulled her to the car. She didn't seem fazed by it. Hope nothing comes from it. I've always liked Anne Marie. She'd say hi when she saw me."

Morgan talked a bit more with the man while Reid called ahead to the Pentagon to make an appointment to see someone in the DOD. If what Mike said was true, she had been missing for a week, unless she was too busy to come in for her twice a week drink. Reid hoped it was the latter.

Anne Marie's supervisor wasn't very forth coming when they met. All he would tell them was that she had called in a day ago asking for time off. He gladly gave it and that was that. He wouldn't disclose what Anne Marie did for the DOD and left before Reid or Morgan could ask him any more questions.

Reid and Morgan went back to the BAU hoping that the others had better luck. Reid sat at his desk staring off into space when Rossi and Prentiss arrived. They both were surprised at his inattention. Morgan joined them looking at the young man before asking for an update.

"Only one club had working security video tape. We looked at the video and it clearly shows the victim as she was leaving. The waitress did remember her and that a man had talked with her for most of the night. Tall, dark brown hair, fit but still slightly pudgy around the waist," she said.

"The waitresses at the other clubs agreed with the description and added to it. An accent but they couldn't pin point from where, a scar on the forehead, and an affinity to whiskey. He would leave and within 5 minutes, the women left as well."

"They might have met up with him outside the club. Maybe heading somewhere else."

Reid's phone rang.

"Hey, sweetie. Got something for you to see," Garcia sweetly said.

Reid hurried from his desk to Garcia's domain with the others hot on his tail. The blonde techno swiveled in her chair to see most of the team standing behind her. They all looked interested in what she had found, Reid more worried than interested.

"I dug further into Anne Marie Jackson's background. No criminal record, squeaky clean but her stepfather isn't. Paul Jackson spent a year in jail for assault. He attacked another man. He broke the man's nose and clavicle after the guy said some nasty things about Anne Marie. It was at her 5th birthday."

"So Jackson has a temper."

"And a recovering alcoholic. Before his arrest, he had 4 DUIs on his record. He went through rehab while in jail. He is a janitor at a local high school."

"But he was drunk that night when he pulled Anne Marie from the bar."

"Thanks, baby girl," Morgan said.

"That's not all. It was a simple Google search that turned up the next bit. I've tracked the account and it leads to a free email account that was closed after the videos were posted. The IP address is from a local internet café."

"What videos, Garcia?" Rossi asked.

"Videos of the rapes and murders. Each video is time stamped and those match the dates of the murders but they were uploaded only yesterday. I only watched one but something tells me that they're all the same."

"Play one."

Garcia looked at Reid and shook her head. She had no connection to Anne Marie but she felt for the woman. Reid would surely react badly.

"We were right that the Unsub is leading up to the final victim."


	3. The Video

**Note: I do not own 'Criminal Minds' but my own characters...I'll admit that I'm not as smart as Reid so he won't be spouting off trivia left, right, or center...Enjoy...

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**

"Garcia, please," Reid whispered.

Her heart went out to him and she focused on the computer in front of her. She pulled up a minimized window and hit the play button.

The camera panned the room showing no furniture other than the bed and a tripod next to the bed. A woman was bound to the bed, her wrists and ankles tied. A thin sheet covered her body. The camera moved closer to the woman and showed Sarah Reynolds.

"Hmm, Anne Marie. You thought you could get away from me," a slightly accented voice said.

The camera was placed on the tripod and zoomed in to only capture Sarah's face and shoulders. A swoosh was heard, the sheet being pulled from her body. Tears began running down her cheeks.

"You saw me but never really saw me. You never said more than hi. Would you have if you knew who I was?"

Grunts and moans played from the speakers while the video only showed Sarah crying, her eyes clenched tight against the pain. The squeaking of the bed stopped and the gag was removed from the woman's mouth.

"Please stop. You're hurting me," she sobbed.

"Say it. Say what I want you to say and I'll let you go," he ordered.

Sarah forced her eyes opened and stared into the camera.

"I'm Anne Marie Jackson and I'm yours forever."

He replaced the gag and started raping her again. His hands slowly circled her neck and began squeezing. Her eyes flew open and she started to thrash with what little room she had. The man grunted once more signaling his release.

"You'll be mine, Anne Marie. You won't get away from me again."

The video ended and the other agents turned to look at Reid. He had gone pale and was leaning against the desk.

"Reid, you should head home. You're too involved in this case. If we find her, I'll call," Morgan said.

Prentiss guided Reid out of the room to the man's desk to collect his bag. Not a single word was spoken between them as she drove him home. She thought that he would need her help to get to his apartment but as soon as the SUV pulled to the curb, Reid got out and walked away without a goodbye or thank you.


	4. The Last Victim

**Note: I do not own 'Criminal Minds' but my own characters...I'll admit that I'm not as smart as Reid so he won't be spouting off trivia left, right, or center...Enjoy...

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**

She was beginning to worry. He was the only person she could think of turning to but she couldn't approach him at work. When she spotted him, her heart dropped. His smile that made her stomach go all fluttery had been replaced by a frown. His hair shielded his gorgeous eyes and all she wanted to do was run her fingers through that hair.

He made it to the outer door before she stepped out. He barely glanced at her before reaching out to the door.

"Reid?" she whispered.

His head flew up at the sound of her voice. His eyes took her in and she knew that she didn't resemble her normal self. She changed everything that made her Anne Marie. Reid held out his hand and nodded towards the building. She took his hand and followed him up to his apartment.

Reid pulled her into his arms as soon as the door closed behind them. Her head rested on his shoulder as her arm wrapped tight around his waist.

"Anne Marie, are you alright? You haven't been hurt have you?" he questioned.

"Shaken up but fine. Reid, there's someone after me."

"I know. My team has been brought in on the case. Wait, how did you know I lived here?"

"Your Penelope Garcia isn't the only one who can hack. I searched alumni records for Cal Tech and once I had your name, almost everything about you was at my finger tips. I was only interested in how to reach you and I knew going to the BAU wouldn't be ideal so I waited here. Calling you was out of the picture as well."

Reid pulled her into the living room and they sat on the couch facing each other. When he had first met her, Anne Marie looked wholesome but now she was the opposite, dressed as a goth from the black hair, dark makeup, black corset, and skirt. Part of him found her alluring in that outfit. Her eyes were downcast at her hands in her lap. She was playing with the hem of her skirt.

"I've dealt with a lot of things but being stalked and hunted isn't one of them. Before the murders started, I would find little things left for me at home. Little trinkets that would put a smile on my face but then I'd throw out. I didn't see any connection when the first girl turned up or even the second. It wasn't until the third turned up yesterday that the newspaper printed their photos together. That's when I saw the resemblance.

"I took time off work and was going to disappear but when I got back home I found something more than just a trinket. He had been in my house. The furniture was overturned and what looked to be blood on the walls. I went into my room to grab a few things only to find all my clothing and belongings gone."

"What aren't you telling me, Anne Marie?" Reid asked, grabbing her hand.

"I called my stepfather's work. He didn't show up yesterday and his cell is on but he doesn't answer it. I'm worried that something's happened to him."

"Garcia found out that your stepfather went through rehab while in jail but you said that he was drunk that night. Could he be at a bar?"

"I come to you saying there's blood on the wall and you think he's on a bender?" she cried.

"My boss will ask. I'll have Garcia put a trace on the cell."

Reid stepped away from Anne Marie and called to talk to the technical analyst. The next call was to Morgan to check out the house again and to have someone look into hospitals in case the man came in for treatment. When Reid entered the living room, Anne Marie was curled into a tight ball against an arm of the couch. She had fallen asleep. He covered her with the blanket off the back of the couch.

Reid sat and waited for anything to happen. Anne Marie was still asleep and he hadn't received any calls from his team. He would select a book from his collection and flip it open only to close it and repeat the action. He hated not being able to do anything. Finally someone knocked on his door. He pulled his gun and made his way over.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Reid, it's Hotch and Prentiss."

He glanced back at Anne Marie who was now awake, her legs tucked up against her chest. Reid opened the door with his gun at the ready. Prentiss and Hotch entered the apartment and he locked the door behind them. Reid followed them into the living room, holstering the gun.

"Emily Prentiss, Aaron Hotchner this is Anne Marie Jackson. This is SSA Emily Prentiss and SSA Aaron Hotchner."

"Hello. Have you found Paul?" she asked, offering her hand to the others to shake.

"Ms. Jackson, what can you tell us about the objects that were left behind for you?" Hotch asked.

"You're trying to change the subject, Agent Hotchner. You found Paul but don't want to tell me so that means he's severely injured and dying or he's already dead. Please do not treat me like a victim. As your look into my background has most likely revealed, I know more than your average person."

"Alright. Your stepfather has been located and unfortunately he did not survive the wounds that he received. The current homeowner found him in her backyard when she came home. The address matches that of your childhood home."

"So the murderer has a vast knowledge of my life. How was he killed? There's blood splatter and smears on the wall at the house."

"Mr. Jackson was killed similarly to the women except he was stabbed first," Prentiss said.

Everyone was quiet, the 3 FBI agents watching Anne Marie. She had watched her mother slowly die from cancer and now her stepfather had been murdered because of her. Not to mention those women who've been killed. She ran her fingers through her hair and glanced at Reid. There was something that she needed to ask but Reid's presence and the fact that she liked him was keeping her quiet.

"Reid, I hate to be a bother but could you get me a glass of water or soda please."

He looked to his friends but they shook their heads. Reid headed into the kitchen to get Anne Marie something to drink. He didn't need the high IQ to see that Anne Marie wanted to say something but without him in the room. Prentiss sat beside Anne Marie and looked at the goth.

"The newspapers said they were strangled while being raped. Were there any marks on the women?" she asked.

"Marks?" Hotch questioned.

"A pen or a burn."

"Yes. An odd shape near the pubic area."

"It was made with a brand. It is his way of identifying who belongs to him, his copyrighting symbol if you will. He burned them before he raped them. He's a sadist so the pain of rubbing the burn will cause the women to cry out. He chokes them until they black out and he'll do that for a couple of days. The third day will be the final rape and the strangulation."

"Anne Marie, how do you know this?" Prentiss asked.

"Because he did it to me. His name was Richard Krup. He was supposedly killed in a police raid when they tried to arrest him."

Reid took that moment to enter the living room with a bottle of water for Anne Marie. She took it from him but didn't drink any. He could see that she was shaking slightly from her revelation. He draped the blanket around her again and sat on the arm of the couch next to her. Part of him wanted to wrap his arms around her in a protective embrace but the federal agent in him knew not to.

"Was it reported?" Prentiss asked.

"Not formally. I knew exactly who it was and I told the details to a detective but never left my name. I heard about his death on the news the next morning and I checked with the detective. Dental records matched those of Krup. Paul was happy when he learned of it but not for the right reasons."

"What do you mean, Anne Marie?" Reid asked.

"You know of Paul's record, his assault charge on the man who was at my party saying lewd things. It should have been _him_ who was sent to jail. He did more than talking at the party. I was too young to understand that it wasn't normal but when Paul heard what he was saying, he did what he needed to protect me even though it was too late. The man who Paul beat was Richard Krup but Paul never knew about the other things."

"When did this happen?"

"Three hundred and sixty two days ago. I had a meeting at the university about continuing my education but I didn't make the appointment. After I escaped, I called to put my acceptance on hold again and focused on living my life. I put the incident behind me after Krup died until these women started turning up."

"He waits nearly a year to continue this. What is so special of this time of year?"

"My birthday is in three days. He waited 18 years to finish what he started at my party and he thinks I should be with him for every birthday."

"You need to tell us everything that happened when he held you captive last year."

"He said he always liked me. It wasn't until the second day that I found out who he was. I thought he grabbed me at random but then he started saying things he said to me when I was a child. Every time it happened he'd say 'I always liked you, even love you and you'll be mine.'"

Something in Reid clicked. It had only been hours ago but felt like days previous. He stood abruptly causing Prentiss and Anne Marie to startle at the movement. He pulled his cell out and hit speed dial.

"Morgan."

"The man from the bar. The one who talked to us about seeing Anne Marie leaving with her stepfather last week. You talked to him when I called the DOD. Please tell me you have his information."

"I have his name here somewhere. Why?"

"I believe he's the Unsub. He said he always liked Anne Marie," Reid said.

Anne Marie gasped and her hands covered her mouth in shock. Reid had met the man who was behind all of this. Her body felt drained, like nothing was keeping her going anymore. Krup had taken a lot from her and had the audacity to talk to 2 federal agents about her.

"Anne Marie? Anne Marie!" Reid called bringing her back to reality. "The man said you'd say hello to him but never talked to him. He was dressed in a rumbled navy blue suit, white shirt, gray tie. Dark hair, blue eyes. He's an inch or so shorter than me."

"That's Shawn. He started coming into the bar six months ago. He'd try talking to me but I'd ignore him. But Shawn doesn't look like Krup. His facial features, physique, and mannerisms are all different. No, he can't be him."

"Morgan will have sent agents out to find him. Why don't we take you to the office, Ms. Jackson? You might feel more comfortable there," Hotch said.

She didn't want to leave Reid's apartment. She felt comfortable here, like nothing could harm her if she stayed curled up on the couch. Reid helped her up and wrapped an arm around her.

"It will be alright, Anne Marie."

Anne Marie looked into his green eyes and knew he would protect her. Several lines from a poem that she had read when she was younger was fitting to this situation.

" 'In this world I need a brave knight; who would never give up any fight. A knight who would dry away my tears, telling me to overcome my fears.' Reid, will you be my knight?"

"I would slay a dragon for you, my lady," he replied.

Anne Marie, Reid, Hotch, and Prentiss were heading towards the parked SUV when they were stopped. A Winchester rifle pointed at you does have the tendency to stop a person in their tracks.

"Why him, Anne Marie? I have been here your entire life and you didn't see me. You spend hours with him and he becomes the person you run to. You know I love you. You should have come to me," Shawn/Richard Krup said.

Hotch slowly moved his hand towards the gun on his hip but the Unsub saw and cocked the gun. Reid dropped his arm from Anne Marie's shoulders and took a step ahead of her.

"It might have been because I wanted to know Anne Marie for Anne Marie and not the young girl who you remember her as. When you see her, you see her as that 5 year old girl from the party. The one who allowed you to do things that no child should know. I connected with the woman. The one who sees past the conventional and is always thinking."

"I've connected with her in ways you haven't even thought about. It's too bad that you never will."

One loud shot rang out followed by two smaller ones. Two bodies laid on the pavement bleeding but only one was getting the attention. The other bled out from two bullets to the chest. There was no use to saving a dead man. He wouldn't be going to the hospital but straight to the morgue.

"Hold on. Hold on. We'll get you to the hospital."

Prentiss was on the phone calling in for an ambulance while the others tried to staunch the blood. She was no doctor but didn't think there was much they could do. After calling for the ambulance, she secured the weapon while calling Morgan to fill him in on the situation.

"We'll meet you at the hospital. Reid will need us," he said.


	5. The Answer

**Note: I do not own 'Criminal Minds' but my own characters...I'll admit that I'm not as smart as Reid so he won't be spouting off trivia left, right, or center...Enjoy...

* * *

**

"How does it feel to be released?"

"I am relieved that beds have evolved from a pile of straw even though this bed isn't like the one at home."

"You did spend 3 weeks lying in the same bed almost in the same position," Morgan said.

"Getting shot isn't a walk in the park, hotstuff," Garcia retorted, reliving the time she was shot.

"I still can't believe that Krup had plastic surgery just to get close to you again."

The entire team showed up to find Anne Marie and Reid talking with the doctor. There were a few aftercare instructions before they could head to the office for a little party. The women were the first to notice it while the men were oblivious.

"OK, get in the wheelchair. It's hospital policy."

The patient begrudgingly sat in the wheelchair and the team walked to the 2 SUVs that were parked outside ready to go. The ride to the office was a quiet affair, a few of the agents wanted to act totally like girl and squeal in excitement. But they held onto their tongues until the office.

"Spill, Anne Marie," JJ said.

The team had spent a lot of time together over the last few weeks at the hospital. She had washed the black out of her hair and looked almost the same as she had when she first met Reid. JJ had brought Henry and he took to Anne Marie like a magnet. The boy would light up whenever she was around. Morgan harmlessly flirted with her like he did with Garcia. Rossi and Hotch looked after her like a daughter but they still hadn't noticed what had put the giant smile on her face.

Anne Marie looked to Prentiss, JJ, and Garcia while Henry played with her hair. She never had many female friends so she was surprised that they were able to pick up on her excitement.

"He started the day like every other with his apology and thank you. The doctor said that I healed quite well from the surgery and I could go home. When we heard the news, he opened his messenger bag and pulled out a book for me. You know that I have an obsession with books. It was a limited edition book by one of my favorite authors. When I saw what was inside, rather than be ecstatic I tore into him."

"What? Why?"

"He defaced the book! He cut a square through all 439 pages to fit a blue box."

"What was in the box? Prentiss asked smiling.

"A platinum three stone engagement ring. The center princess diamond weighs 1 carat and is flawless and colorless. There are princess cut sapphires on either side of the diamond."

"What did you say?" JJ asked.

"I asked if he kept what he cut out. I wanted to patch it up. I rattled on about the author while Reid waited for my response. I knew he can be patient but not with this. I kept going until he pulled out the real book and gave that to me. He had glued a fake cover onto some book. After making sure that the book was whole, I said yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I told him I'd marry him."

While Anne Marie and the women talked, Reid watched from the other side of the room with Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi. He tucked some hair behind his ear and looked to his coworkers and friends.

"I asked Anne Marie to marry me."

"What?"

"She dove in front of a bullet for me, Morgan. She could have easily died. I felt a connection that first night and then through this situation, I felt closer to her. We've spent the last 3 weeks delving into each other's lives. Anne Marie is the only one I've opened up with. I have told her things that I haven't told anyone else."

"You love her," Hotch said.

"I do although I haven't said those words to her yet," Reid replied.

"Well then what are you waiting for? Get over there and tell her."

The genius walked across the room and interrupted the group of women's conversation. He carefully undid the clasp on the necklace Anne Marie was wearing and pulled the ring off the chain.

"I love you, Anne Marie Jackson. You gave me the best moment in my life when you said you'd become my wife. Put this ring on your finger as a symbol for the love I have for you. I can make the future as bright as possible simply with you by my side."

"I love you too, Spencer Reid. It was Fate that brought me to the bar that night but it was my heart that found its way to you when I was in need. My mind didn't need an extra second to think when he fired. I knew I couldn't live without you. We can survive anything as long as we're together."


End file.
